The Next Ketchum
by fanficwriter45
Summary: Kidnapped at the age of 5 and suffering amnesia, Jack grows up wondering who his real parents are... until that fateful day. AshxMay OcxOc
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there Pokémon fans! This is Fanficwriter45. The idea for this fic came to me awhile ago, but I never had the chance to post it. Now that I'm a poor college student (a very bored one at that), I finally have a chance. Though this is not my first fic, it is my first Pokémon. This first chapter is one big flashback. It was the best way, in my opinion, to introduce the main character and begin the story.**

**Well, without further ado, I present The Next Ketchum.**

**Disclaimer: I own only my ideas. Pokémon belongs to Nintendo.**

* * *

**Chapter 0: Flashback**

* * *

_*Flashback*_

_"Mommy can I go play at the playground?" a child around the age of five asked. He had brown hair and chocolate eyes._

_"Of course, sweetie; just remember to take all your friends with," she answered._

_"And be careful," added the father._

_"I promise!" the boy yelled to them, already running toward the playground; his pals in the backpack on his back._

_Once he was out of his parents' sight, he felt someone grab him and a cloth forced over his was unconscious before he could shout for help. He woke up later, seeing that he was surrounded by his friends, before blacking out again._

_*End Flashback*_

"Pika?"

"I'm just thinking. Go back to sleep, Pikachu, we've got a big day tomorrow."

_*Flashback*_

_"Good morning," the little boy heard a voice say as he woke up._

_"Who's there?" he asked, surveying his surroundings. Then he recalled what his father had told him: **When you don't know where you are or hear strange things, your friends are there to protect you**. He then reached for his backpack, but it wasn't there._

_"Where's my friends?" he asked, now scared._

_"You mean your Pokémon?" a blue-haired woman asked me._

_"Yeah," he answered, feeling better since he knew who the woman was. "They were in my backpack, Officer Jenny."_

_"Here you go then," she said as she handed him his bag._

_"Thank you," he said as he took out a few pokeballs. "I choose you: Pichu, Eevee, Treecko, Totodile, Torchic, and Charmander."_

_"Pichu pi."_

_"Vee vee."_

_"Treecko."_

_"Totodile."_

_"Chic torchic."_

_"Char char."_

_"You have quite the collection there. Where did you get them all?" Officer Jenny asked._

_"From Mommy and Daddy, and Uncle Brock too," the boy said proudly._

_"What are your Mommy's and Daddy's names?" Jenny asked, surprised he had parents since she had found him in an abandoned warehouse._

_He stood there for a little while thinking, and got scared. "I can't remember," the boy said, starting to cry._

_"Well, what's your name?" Officer Jenny asked in an attempt to calm me down._

_"My name's Jack, um... I can't remember my last name!" Jack yelled as he began to cry harder._

_"It'll be fine. Can you tell me where you live?"_

_"I... d-don't... know!" he managed to get out between sobs._

_"Every thing's going to be fine, Jack. You just have to stay here until you remember something, ok?" Officer Jenny stated._

_"Ok," Jack whimpered, rubbing his eyes. "Can I keep my friends with me?" he asked, thinking that she might take them away._

_"Of course you can," she answered with a smile, "now why don't you let the rest of them out; you might just remember something."_

_"Okay," he said, releasing the rest of his Pokémon, "go Turtwig, Taillow, Gible, Torkoal, Vulpix, Ralts, Corphish, Zubat, Wurmple, Buizel, and Riolu."_

_"What about this one?" Jenny asked, picking up a lone pokeball._

_"That's Onix. He's too big to fit in the room, even though his daddy's way huger!" Jack answered. "Yay, I remembered something!"  
_  
_"Can you remember anything else?"_

_"I remember that Pichu and Eevee are brothers, and that Treecko and Torchic are brother and sister. Oh, and Uncle Brock gave me Onix, Zubat and Vulpix," Jack said, still trying to remember stuff._

_"How are they brother and sister?" the officer asked._

_"Daddy's Sceptile married Mommy's Blaziken," Jack answered._

_"What about the other two?"_

_"Daddy's Pikachu married Mommy's Glaceon."_

_"So, we know that your father has a Pikachu and a Sceptile, and your mother has a Blaziken and a Glaceon. Can you remember any of their other Pokémon?" Officer Jenny asked._

_"Um, Charmander's daddy is my daddy's Charizard. Totodile's daddy is my daddy's Feraligator. Turtwig's daddy is my daddy's Torterra. Torkoal used to be Daddy's. Taillow's mommy is my daddy's Swellow. Gible's daddy is my daddy's Garchomp. Corphish's daddy is my daddy's Crawdaunt. Wurmple's mommy is my mommy's Beautifly and his daddy is my daddy's Butterfree. Buizel's daddy is my daddy's Floatzel. And Riolu's daddy is my daddy's Lucario." Jack said, counting them off on his fingers._

_"What about your Ralts?" Officer Jenny asked._

_"I think Uncle Max gave her to me."  
_  
_"So, we know that your dad has a Pikachu, Sceptile, Charizard, Feraligator, Torterra, Swellow, Garchomp, Crawdaunt, Butterfree, Floatzel, and Lucario. We also know that your mom has a Glaceon, Blaziken, and Beautifly. Can you recall any of their other Pokémon?"_

_"I think Mommy has a Skitty and an Ivysaur that married Daddy's Venusaur. Oh, Mommy's Wartortle married Daddy's Blastoise. Daddy has a Megnium too," Jack answered._

_"Do you remember what they look like, or something about them?" Jenny asked._

_"Daddy always wears a hat, and Mommy likes the color red."_

_"Ok. I'm going to go see if I can find out who your parents are. Until then, you are free to explore the building. Oh, and this is your room until I tell you other wise."_

_"Okey dokey," Jack answered. When she was gone, Jack asked, "Who wants to go explore?"_

_"Char!" Charmander raised his claw, along with Buizel, Turtwig, Totodile, Gible, and Wurmple._

_"Then let's go!"_

_As soon as the door opened, the two water types bolted down the hall. The others waited for Jack._

_"Hey! Wait up!" Jack shouted, running after the two Pokémon. Wurmple, who was sitting on Jack's head, looked like a flag in the wind as the child ran, the other three right behind their trainer._

_When they managed to catch up with Buizel and Totodile, the alligator bumped into a boy who was a few years older than Jack._

_"Watch it, you stupid Pokémon!" he shouted._

_"Don't yell at my friend!" Jack yelled back._

_"You mean that this worthless thing belongs to you?"_

_"Totodile doesn't belong to me; he's my friend."_

_"Sorry to tell you, but Pokémon aren't meant to be friends, they're meant for battle. Any good trainer knows that," the boy mocked._

_"Well all my Pokémon are my friends!" Jack exclaimed._

_"Then let's see whose Pokémon are stronger, my fighters or your friends."_

_"Fine."_

_"Char," Charmander agreed._

_"Meet me in the gym in an hour, loser," he said, turning his back to Jack._

_"Come on guys, let's go get the others," Jack said to his Pokémon. "Um, does anyone remember which way we came from?"_

_"Buizel," the otter groaned, smacking himself in the face._

* * *

_"Look who showed up," the bully mocked as Jack entered the gym, his Pokémon following._

_"Onix, there's room in here for you," Jack said, letting the rock snake out of its pokeball._

_"This will be a six-vs-six battle, got it?"_

_Jack nodded his head, surveying the room. He was shocked to see all the kids in the bleachers, who were expecting a quick victory. "Officer Jenny, what are you doing here?" he asked, spotting the blue-haired woman._

_She smiled, "I'm reffing the battle. Are you sure you want to do this?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"He has really powerful Pokémon," she explained._

_"Don't worry, I'll be fine. And he called Totodile stupid. I don't like it when people call my friends names. Mommy told me to fight for what you believe in, and I believe that it's not nice to call people names."  
_  
_"Okay. It seems like you're remembering things. Do you remember anything else?"_

_"No," Jack whispered, hanging his head._

_"What's taking so long; you scared?" the other boy mocked._

_"I'm not scared of a bully," Jack stated, glaring at his foe._

_"Go out there and fight for your friends," Officer Jenny encouraged Jack._

_"Okay."_

_"This match is between Jack and Paul. Send out your first Pokémon."_

_"Rattata, let's kick some butt!"_

_"Charmander, let's show everyone that we're not losers," Jack said as Charmander ran out onto the field._

_"Char char."_

_Officer Jenny announced, "You may begin."_

_"Rattata, Tackle that stupid lizard," ordered Paul._

_"Charmander, use Growl."_

_"Char," he growled, stopping the charging purple rat in its tracks._

_"Now use Scratch!"_

_Charmander nodded. His claws gleamed as he charged Rattata._

_"Tail Whip, Rattata" ordered Paul._

_Rattata turned its back to glare at its trainer, giving Charmander an opening. The rat flinched in pain as Charmander's claws dug into its skin._

_"You stupid rat! Listen to me!"_

_"Quick, Charmander, hit it with Ember!"_

_"Char!" the lizard shouted, a small ball of fire forming in his mouth. Charmander then launched it, managing to hit his opponent's tail. Rattata wailed in agony as it ran in a circle, trying to put out the flame. All it accomplished was to make itself dizzy. Rattata fell to the ground, swirls in its eyes._

_"Rattata is unable to battle; Charmander wins," Officer Jenny announced._

_"Stupid thing," Paul said as he recalled his Pokémon._

_"Good job, Charmander," Jack praised, wrapping his arms around the lizard._

_"Char, charmander," he said, doing a victory pose._

_"Choose your next pokemon," Jenny said._

_"Mankey, kick some butt."_

_"Totodile, it's your turn."_

_"Totodile!" the blue, bi-pedaled alligator cheered as he ran onto the field._

_"Mankey, start with Scratch."_

_"Totodile, use Rage." The alligator nodded; a red aura surrounding him._

_"Ha! Your Pokemon's too scared to do anything," Paul mocked._

_"Just wait," Jack smirked. When Mankey scratched Totodile, the red aura grew larger. "Now Totodile, Scratch!"_

_"Dile!" he exclaimed, charging the pig-monkey. The monkey attempted to dodge Totodile's lightning fast claw, but was sent flying into the bleachers instead, creating a cloud of dust. As the dust cleared, it was clear that Mankey had fainted._

_"How can that thing move so fast?" Paul asked, his mouth wide open._

_"Totodile got his speed from his daddy," Jack beamed._

_"Mankey is unable to continue; Totodile wins."_

_"Good job, buddy," Jack acknowledged as the hyperactive alligator tackled him._

_"Send out your next Pokémon," the officer announced._

_"Machop, you better not lose!" A grey, body-builder Pokémon appeared in a red flash of light._

_"Treecko, time to shine!" Jack announced as he got off the ground._

_"Cko," the green, wood gecko said, nodding to his trainer._

_"Machop, Low Kick!"_

_"Treecko, dodge it and use Leer!"_

_As Machop tried to kick Treecko, the gecko leaped into the air and landed behind it. He then leered at it, making Machop back away in fear._

_"Machop, Focus Energy then use Karate Chop!"_

_"Treecko, use Pound!"_

_Treecko nodded, rushing towards Machop, his fist glowing with energy. Machop just stood there, focusing his thoughts. Just as Treecko was about to strike his foe, the other Pokémon smacked him in the face, sending the gecko flying._

_"Take that loser," Paul laughed._

_"Treecko, are you okay?" Jack asked his friend._

_"Tree...cko," the pokemon answered in pain._

_"Try to use Absorb, Treecko."_

_The wood gecko pushed himself into a standing position. He began to focus on his enemy's life force, imagining it being transferred to him. As green energy left Machop's body, Treecko's wounds began to heal. No one had noticed the green aura that had surrounded Treecko, powering up his attack._

_"Machop is unable to battle; Treecko is the victor," Officer Jenny announced, seeing the body-builder laying on the ground unconscious._

_"You piece of crap," Paul muttered, recalling Machop._

_"Way to go Treecko!" Jack shouted, high-fiveing his Pokémon._

_"Torchic, chic," his sister said._

_"Cko," the gecko blushed at his sister's praise._

_"Trainers, choose you next Pokémon."_

_"Geodude, don't you dare loose!" A rock with arms appeared on the field._

_"Onix, your turn."_

_"Onix!" the rock snake roared, slithering into place._

_"Geodude, Defense Curl!" The rock curled up into a ball._

_"Onix, start with Screech."_

_"Onix!" he roared, sending the ball of rock rolling._

_As Geodude uncurled, Paul shouted, "Geodude, Tackle that snake!"_

_"Onix, use your own Tackle!"_

_The two rock beings collided, sending a cloud of dust into the air. Seconds later, the smaller of the two flew out and landed at its trainer's feet._

_"Geodude is unable to battle; Onix wins."_

_"How am I losing to this kid?" Paul questioned._

_"Go Onix!" Jack praised, patting the snake on the tail._

_"Send out your next Pokémon."_

_"Nidoran Male, your turn!" Paul shouted, throwing a pokeball. A light purple rabbit with a horn came out of the pokeball._

_"Wurmple, show them what we're made of!"_

_"Wurmple," the red caterpillar squeaked as he jumped off Jack's head._

_"You're using that thing? You're stupid," Paul chuckled. "I'll let you send out another one since I'm so nice."_

_"Nope, we're good," Jack answered._

_"Your funeral," Paul said, shrugging his shoulders._

_"Trainers, you may begin."_

_"Nidoran, Peck the bug!" The rabbit's horn gleamed as it charged._

_"Wurmple, use String Shot!" The bug nodded, shooting a silky thread out of its mouth. The thread wrapped around Nidoran, encasing it in a silk cocoon. "Now use Tackle," Jack ordered._

_"Wurmple, wurm," he chanted, rushing towards his foe. The force of his attack sent Nidoran flying into a random kid in the bleachers._

_"Nidoran is unable to battle; Wurmple wins."_

_"How did a little bug beat me?" Paul asked, the shock plain on his face._

_"Yay, Wurmple!" Jack shouted, giving the caterpillar a hug._

_"Choose your last Pokémon," Jenny stated._

_"Squirtle, it's up to you," Paul said, sending out his final Pokémon._

_"Squirtle," a tiny, blue turtle said._

_"Pichu, do your best."_

_"Pi, pichu," the tiny, yellow mouse squeaked._

_Paul laughed, "What a weak Pokémon."_

_"Don't make fun of Pichu! He's not weak! He always protected me when I got in trouble or got lost. He's my bestest friend!" Jack shouted at the top of his lungs._

_"That little thing?" he said, sizing up Pichu, "I doubt that."_

_"Shut up! You can make fun of me all you want, but don't make fun of my friends!"_

_"Pichu," the tiny mouse squeaked. Suddenly, he was surrounded by a blinding light that made everyone turn away. After it died down, a yellow mouse with red cheeks stood where Pichu once stood._

_"Pichu, is that you?" Jack asked._

_"Pi," the mouse answered, nodding its head._

_"Jack, your Pichu evolved into Pikachu," Officer Jenny explained._

_"Really?"_

_"Pi, pikachu," the evolved mouse said._

_"Yay, Pichu evolved!"_

_"It won't help you," Paul sighed, twiddling his thumbs._

_"Sure it won't," Jack replied._

_"Squirtle, Bubble!" The turtle nodded, launching dozens of bubbles from its mouth._

_"Pikachu, use Thundershock."_

_"Pikachu!" the mouse shouted, sending a minuscule bolt of lightning towards his opponent. Several explosions were heard when the lightning made contact with the bubbles._

_"Squirtle, dodge it now!" Paul shouted, but it was too late. The turtle experienced a treatment of shock therapy._

_"Squirtle is unable to continue; Pikachu wins. Jack is the victor."_

_"Squirtle, you failed," Paul muttered, sulking into the shadows._

_"Go Pikachu! You won!" Jack exclaimed, squeezing the life out of the poor mouse. After Pikachu began to breathe again, the young boy asked, "How did you evolve?"_  
_"Pi pikachu, pika pikachu."_

_"Huh?"_

_"Cha," the mouse sighed in defeat._

_"Jack, these people would like to take care of you for a little while, okay?" Officer Jenny stated as she approached the boy._

_"Why?"_

_Officer Jenny sighed, "Jack, since you have a mommy and a daddy, we can't take care of you here."_

_"Will I be with them forever?" the boy asked, tears welling up in his chocolate eyes._

_"Of course not," Jenny said. "It's only until we find your mom and dad."_

_"Okay."_

_"Good. This is Rick and Amy Landaris. You'll have their last name until we find out what yours is," the officer explained._

_"Hi," Jack greeted his foster parents._

_"Hello," the woman replied._

_The boy turned to Officer Jenny. "Can I still keep my Pokémon?" he asked._

_"Of course you can," she answered. "Now can you return your Pokémon back into their pokeballs? They all can't fit in the car."_

_"Ok," Jack sighed. His face lit up as if it was Christmas. "I remember that Mommy and Daddy would always let Pikachu, Eevee, and Wurmple stay out of their pokeballs," he said._

_"Okay," Rick said, "then they can stay out."_

_"Yay!" Jack exclaimed. He turned to his Pokémon, "Everyone return."_

_"Pika?" The electric mouse questioned._

_""We have a new home," Jack told him, Eevee and Wurmple. The fox and the caterpillar were jumping for joy, while Pikachu looked doubtful. "Let's go guys." Wurmple climbed onto Jack's head as Eevee and Pikachu climbed aboard his shoulders._

* * *

**Well, that's the first chapter. You can probably figure out who Jack's parents are. If not, then... well you're out of luck until they make their entrance in a few chapters. Since I already have several chapters written, expect the next one by Tuesday. I just have to read through it and fix anything I don't like.**

**This is FFW signing out...**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back! I want to thank all of you who left a review or favorited this fic.**

**Now, I forgot to mention how I use the different types of** **fonts...**  
_a_=**flashback**  
**_a_**=**thought**  
a=**Pokémon** **move**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my ideas. Pokémon belongs to Nintendo. Also, the girl is not who might think she is. She may look similar, but it's not her. If you are confused by this, just read and you will see what I mean.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: School Starts**

"Jack! Get down here now!" Amy Landaris shouted from the kitchen.

"Huh? What?" a now 16-year-old Jack questioned, bolting upright. His faithful Pikachu, who had fallen asleep on his trainer's stomach, was launched into the air.

"Chu," the mouse groaned, rubbing his aching head, as he stood up.

"Sorry Pikachu."

"Jack, get down here **NOW**!"

"I'm coming!" the teen shouted back. "Umbreon, wake up. You too, Wurmple," he said to the other two Pokémon in the room.

"Umbreon," the black fox yawned as he stretched.

"Wurm," he squeaked, burrowing underneath Jack's pillow.

"Wurmple, come on. It's the first day of school," Jack groaned, trying to find the bug in the bed. He jolted into a standing position as it registered in his mind: "Oh crap! I'm going to be late!" Jack shouted, bolting to the closet for clean clothes. In a blur of motion, the boy had gotten dressed. Without thinking, he rushed down the stairs.

"Pika pika," the mouse sighed.

Jack ran back into the room. "I almost forgot to grab the others," he said, grabbing a draw-string bag with numerous pokeballs inside, tying it to his belt.

Wurmple anime fell off the side of the bed. "Wurmple, wurm," the bug squeaked, getting back up.

"Wurmple, stop messing around. We got to leave now if we want to catch the bus," Jack stated, grabbing the worm before rushing out of the room. Pikachu and Umbreon looked at each other before following their trainer.

As they got onto the bus, the driver told Jack, "They gotta go into their pokeballs, kid."

"Sir, I have permission from Officer Jenny for them to remain out of their pokeballs," Jack answered.

"Whatever, just find a seat."

As Jack headed for an empty seat, he overheard some of the older kids talking: "Who does this kid think his is?"

"Don't listen to those guys," an angelic voice said, "they think that they're in charge around here."

Jack turned around to find the owner of the voice. He almost fainted at the sight of her. The girl had fire-red hair that extended to the middle of her back, and the most amazing green eyes. "Hi, my name's Ginny. What's yours?" she asked with a smile.

"I'm Jack," the boy answered. _**She's beautiful!** _Jack thought.

"Don't you have a last name?" Ginny asked.

"Well, yes and no," he answered, a sad smile on his face.

"Huh?"

"It's complicated."

"Well, we don't get to school for another fifteen minutes, so we have time," she replied, trying to get him to talk.

"Well eleven years ago, I was kidnapped and taken from my biological parents. I woke up in an orphanage and was adopted. The Officer Jenny that worked there has been looking for my parents and has been communicating with me these past years. She told me that when she finds my biological parents, I can go live with them," Jack explained to his new friend.

"Wow, that's so sad."

"Yeah, but I've managed to survive thanks to my friends."

"Huh?"

"My Pokémon. My parents gave them to me before I was taken," he explained.

"Are these them?" Ginny asked, looking at Pikachu, Umbreon and Wurmple.

"Just three of them."

"What do you mean 'just three?' How many do you have?" Ginny asked.

"Let's see. You already met Pikachu, Umbreon, and Wurmple. Then there's Vulpix, Charmeleon, Golbat, Onix, Feraligatr, Grovyle, Combusken, Swellow, Kirlia, Torkoal, Corphish, Grotle, Gible, Buizel, Riolu, Scyther, Spearow, Growlithe, and Seviper," Jack counted his pokemon.

"You have twenty-two Pokémon! Did your parents give all of them to you?" Sarah asked.

"No, I caught Scyther, Spearow, Growlithe, and Seviper myself," Jack answered.

"Wow, I only have three," she said sadly.

"Can I meet them here?" Jack asked.

"Not here; I would get in trouble."

"Why?"

"Pokémon aren't supposed to be out on the bus," she explained.

"Why?" Jack asked as he watched Umbreon sleep.

"Because, stupid, they take up too much room," a boy around 17 answered, shoving Jack into the seat so he could sit down. This caused a cranky fox to wake up.

"Go away Kyle," Ginny told the boy.

"Come on, you know you want some of this."

"Definitely not," was Ginny's answer.

"Why don't you just leave her alone; she clearly doesn't like you," Jack said, puffing out his chest.

"Shut up, new kid. Nobody asked you," Kyle glared at him.

"No."

"What did you say? Do you want to fight?" Kyle asked, raising his voice.

"That's a good idea. Kyle, I challenge you to a three-vs-three Pokémon battle."

"Why would I agree to battle you?" he laughed.

"Because if you win, I'm your slave. But if I win, you gotta leave Ginny alone."

Kyle thought about what Jack had said. "Fine, I accept your challenge, kid. Meet me in the gym during lunch," he stated, heading back to his seat.

"You know you didn't have to do that," Ginny said to Jack.

"I know, but people don't mess with my friends," he said with a cheesy smirk across his face.

"You mean you want me as a friend?" she asked surprised.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

"Well, I really don't have any friends," she answered.

"Why? I mean, your nice, independent, and you don't put up with jerks."

"People don't like my Pokémon."

"Why?"

"They smell bad."

"So? Umbreon doesn't smell that good until I give him a bath," Jack teased the fox.

"Bre!" Umbreon barked, biting his trainer's arm.

"Ow! Umbreon, I told you no biting," Jack said, rubbing where his Pokémon bit him.

"They don't smell like that," Ginny giggled.

"Then what do they smell like?"

"It's hard to explain," she sighed.

"Can you tell me what Pokémon you have?" Jack asked, trying to help his new friend.

"Well, I have an Oddish, a Koffing, and a Stunky."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she sighed.

"That's so cool!" Jack exclaimed.

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Why?"

"I've always wanted a Stunky. Since it's also dark-type, Stunky's weakness to psychic-type attacks is canceled out. Plus, Oddish can learn some good attacks in its later evolutions, and Koffing's ability protects it from ground-type attacks, which are super-effective against poison-types."

"Wow, I never knew that. Thanks Jack."

"No problem," Jack replied. Ginny suddenly wrapped her arms around him. "Um, what are you doing?" he asked, a blush on his face.

"Giving my best friend a hug," she answered. "Why, did I do something wrong?"

"No, of course not. You just surprised me, that's all," he told her.

"Really? Why?"

"Well, I haven't hugged someone, except for my pokemen, since I was taken."

"I'm sorry," Ginny said as she gave Jack another hug.

"It's not your fault," he told her.

"I know; I'm just trying to be helpful."

"You're doing a good job then," Jack told her.

"Thank you." She then looked out the window and said, "Look, we're at school."

"Wow," was all Jack could say as he looked at the building. The school itself wasn't that impressive, it looked like a normal school. The stadium, on the other hand, was. It was four stories tall, and looked like it could seat five thousand people.

"Yeah, it's a big place. Plus, they sometimes hold competitions in the stadium," Ginny explained.

"What kind of competitions?" he asked her.

"Mostly home battles for the battle team, but every once in a while, there will be a contest or two. Oh, and one year, they managed to get Ash Ketchum here," Ginny explained.

"That's cool."

"Yeah. Well, come on then, let's go see what teacher we have," she said as they got off the bus. Jack had to carry Wurmple because he would have fallen off his trainer's head because they ran so fast.

"Ginny, slow down," he told her.

"Oops, I over did it again," she said to herself.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, last year, my friends left me because I was too hyper. Also, they didn't like my Pokémon."

"Don't worry, I won't leave you because you're hyperactive. A few of my Pokémon are crazy. Just wait until you meet Buizel and Feraligatr," Jack chuckled at the thought of his two water Pokémon.

"Why?" she asked.

"You just have to wait and see. Anyways, where do we go to find out who our teacher is?"

"Over there," she said as she pointed at a huge board. "Come on then," she said as she dragged him over there.

"Um, how many teachers are there?" he asked her, seeing all the different lists on the board.

"About twenty-five," she answered. She started searching for their names. "Cool!" she shouted, almost knocking Wurmple off Jack's head as she turned around.

"What?" the boy asked her.

"We're in the same class!" she squealed.

"Cool, but please don't squeal like that."

"Sorry, it's just that I'm really happy."

"It's okay. You just scared Wurmple," he explained, pointing at his head.

"Um, Jack, Wurmple's not there."

"What?" True to her word, Wurmple wasn't there. "Wurmple, where are you?" he shouted, looking in all directions for the caterpillar.

"Um, I found him," she said with a giggle.

"Where?" Jack asked.

"Check your back pack."

"Okay," Jack said, taking off his bag. When he looked at it, two yellow spikes were sticking out of the main pocket. "Come on, Wurmple, everything is okay."

"Wurmple?" the caterpillar said, looking around.

"Why did he hide?" Ginny asked, as Wurmple climbed back onto Jack's head.

"Last week, a Pidgeotto tried to eat him while we were training," he explained.

"Well, why doesn't he evolve?"

"I really don't know. Plus, if he did, he wouldn't be himself anymore."

"Why?"

"Since Wurmple can evolve into either Cascoon or Silcoon, his personality will change." Seeing the confused look on Ginny's face, Jack explained further, "When a Wurmple evolves, it loses it current personality. If it evolves into a Cascoon, it will only care about getting stronger and winning. On the other hand, Silicoon focuses more on beauty. That's why you see a lot more Beautiflies in contests."

"Oh, well, I like him the way he is now," Ginny said.

"Really? Why?"

"He's kinda cute."

"Okay. Shouldn't we get to class?" Jack suggested.

"I totally forgot! Hurry, or we're going to be late!" she shouted as she took off down the hall.

"Ginny! Wait up!" Jack shouted as he ran after her with Pikachu and Umbreon right behind him, while Wurmple was holding on for dear life. When he caught up with her, Jack asked, out of breath, "Where's our class?"

"Right here," she said pointing at the door they were standing in front of. "Our teacher is Mr. Morsba."

"Is he nice?" he asked.

"I don't know. I think this is his first year teaching."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's do this," Jack said as he opened the door.

"May I help you?" someone asked. Jack looked to see who had said that, and sitting in a chair, was a man about twenty-nine. He had short, brown hair and a goatee.

"Um, yeah. I'm Ginny and this is," she started to say.

"Jack Landaris," the boy interrupted.

"Well, you're on the attendance sheet, so I guess that means you're in my class," he said with a grin.

"Yup," Jack answered.

"Is that an Umbreon?" Mr. Morsba asked, pointing at Umbreon.

"Sure is. He was my second Pokémon I ever had," he said proudly.

"Really, where did you catch him?"

"I didn't. My mom and dad gave him to me. They also gave me Pikachu, Wurmple, Grovyle, Combusken, Torkoal, Swellow, Gible, Riolu, Onix, Vulpix, Golbat, Buizel, Grotle, Charmeleon, Feraligatr, Corphish, and Kirlia," Jack told the man.

"Wow, that's a lot of Pokémon. Where do you keep them all?"

"I have to keep them all with me because Rick and Amy don't want them at their house. I have to keep Scyther, Spearow, Seviper and Growlithe with me as well," Jack explained.

"You do know that you're not allowed to do that, right?" Mr. Morsba asked.

"Officer Jenny thought people would say that, so she gave this permission slip," Jack told him as he handed him a piece of paper.

"Well, it looks like you're telling the truth. Why don't you two sit at that empty table there," he told them, as he gave Jack back the paper.

"Ok," the two students answered at the same time. When they sat down, Ginny asked Jack, "Why did you call your parents by their names?"

"Because they're not my parents and they never will be," he answered with hate.

"Hey, that wasn't nice," she said as she poked him in the chest.

"I'm sorry. It's just that, they try to take the place of my parents, even though they're not," he told her.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"It's ok."

"Alright class, quiet down. Thank you, now let's get started," Mr. Morsba said.

* * *

Two Hours Later

**DING!**

"Lunch!" shouted the entire class, as the students ran out the door.

"Jack, are you sure you want to do this?" Ginny asked her friend as they walked towards the gym.

"I'm sure," Jack answered with his game face on.

"Why are you doing this for me?" she asked.

He turned around to look her in the eyes. "Because, you're my friend. Plus, I don't like jerks. In the orphanage, a guy called Feraligatr a loser, so I challenged him to a six-vs-six Pokémon battle."

"Did you win?" Ginny asked.

"Of course I did. Nobody can beat me," Jack laughed. "That's when Pikachu evolved too."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"Your friendship must have been really strong then," she said.

"What do you mean?" the boy asked confused.

"A Pichu can only evolve if it has a strong friendship with its trainer," explained Ginny.

"Really? Is that true Pikachu?" Jack asked the yellow mouse.

"Pika," he answered as he nodded his head.

"You done talking now?" Kyle asked as he came through the door.

"I'm ready to kick your butt," Jack answered with a smirk.

"In your dreams. Send out your first Pokémon," Kyle replied.

"Umbreon, it's battle time," Jack told the midnight fox Pokémon.

"Umbreon!" he shouted as he entered the field.

"Magneton, you're up," Kyle said as he threw a pokeball.

"Umbreon, let's start with a Quick Attack."

"Bre," Umbreon said as he charged Magneton.

"Quick, use Metal Sound, Magneton!" Magneton then let out a screech that caused Umbreon to falter.

"Magneton, use Spark!"

"Quick, dodge it!" Jack shouted. "Alright Umbreon, lets kick this up a notch. Use Quick Ball!"

"You can't make up a move," Kyle said.

"I didn't, I just combined two," Jack told him. He then turned to his Pokémon and said, "Umbreon, I know we haven't perfected it, but I believe in you."

"Bre," he said as he charged Magneton again.

"This again? Magneton, use Tackle."

"Magneton," the Pokémon said as it charged Umbreon.

As he charged Magneton, Umbreon suddenly shot out a barrage of Shadow Balls at Magneton. Magneton had no chance to dodge the barrage, so it went down.

"Umbreon, you did it!" Jack shouted as he gave him a hug.

"How did you do that?" Ginny asked.

"I'll tell you later. Right now, I need to teach this dick a lesson," Jack answered.

"You got lucky. That ain't gonna happen again," Kyle said. "Now choose your next Pokémon."

Jack picked one of the pokeballs on his belt and threw it. "Corphish, battle time!"

"Corphish cor!" the orange, crayfish Pokémon said as he snapped his pincers at Kyle.

"You yelled that same phrase last time. Is it supposed to be a catch phrase or something?" Ginny asked.

"I just say it because it sounds cool."

Ginny smacked herself in the face at her friend's weirdness.

"Shut up and battle," Kyle said. He then threw his own pokeball, "Arbok, you're up."

"Charbok!" the giant purple cobra shouted.

"Corphish, start with Bubble Beam."

"Arbok, counter with Poison Sting!"

As the two attacks made contact, a large explosion occurred.

"Corphish, let's try a Digvice!"

"Phish," he answered as he disappeared underground.

"Arbok, watch out for any movement."

After thirty seconds, Corphish emerged from the ground, behind Arbok and latched onto it with his pincers.

"Corphish, Water Pulse!"

"Cor...phish!" he shouted as he launched a pulse of water, at point-blank range, towards Arbok.

"Arbok, dodge it!" Kyle shouted, but it had no chance, so it went down.

"Good job, Corphish," Jack told him as they slapped hands, or pincers.

"Shut up and send out your final Pokémon," Kyle ordered.

"Corphish, return. Spearow, battle time!"

"Spearow!" the tiny bird screeched.

"Pinsir, you're up."

"Spearow, use Steel Wing."

"Pinsir, Hardennow!"

While Pinsir's skin became hard as rock, Spearow dove at it with his wings giving off a metalic sheen. When contact was made, Spearow was sent flying.

"Spearow!" Jack shouted, concerned for his Pokémon.

"Pinsir, Vicegrip," Kyle ordered. Luckily, Spearow was out of reach by the time Pinsir tried to grab it.

"Spearow, are you okay?"

"Spearow," the bird nodded his head.

"Alright! Spearow, try a Fury Peck."

As Pinsir tried to grab Spearow with its pincer, Spearow dodged the attack and started to Peck Pinsir with the speed of a Fury Attack.

As Spearow ended his attack, Jack yelled, "Spearow, end this with a Steel Wing!"

Pinsir had no chance to dodge the attack because Spearow was flying at mach speed.

"Spearow, I think you just learned Agility."

As Pinsir hit the ground unconscious, Spearow started to shine with a bright light.

"Jack, what's happening?" Ginny asked as she grabbed Jack's hand.

Her sudden movement made him blush. "I think Spearow's evolving," Jack finally told her.

As the light grew dimmer, both were shocked. Where the tiny bird had been was this huge bird! Jack took a step forward and asked, "Spearow, is that you?"

"Fearow," the bird said as it nodded its head.

Jack then gave his newly evolved friend a bear hug. "I don't think you can sit on my shoulder now, Spearow," he told him.

"Fear."

"Sorry. Fearow."

While all this was happening, Kyle just looked at his pokeballs. "How could this happen? I am the best there is. How could a newbie beat me?"

"The reason he defeated you is because of the bond he shares with his Pokémon," Mr. Morsba answered.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Morsba?" Ginny asked their teacher.

"Well, after lunch had ended, you two didn't come back. I decided to look for you because it would look bad if I had lost two students on the first day of school. I was worried as well," Mr. Morsba explained.

"Why were you worried?" Jack asked.

"Well, Officer Jenny sent me an E-mail about you, Jack," Mr. Morsba answered.

"What was it about?" Ginny asked.

"Well, Officer Jenny thinks that she found Jack's biological parents," Mr. Morsba told them.

"Really? Who are they?" Jack asked excitedly.

"She doesn't know their names. All she knows is that they lost their son eleven years ago, and that they're still looking for him," Mr. Morsba explained.

"Oh, but I was taken from my parents," Jack said, starting to cry.

"Jack, don't cry," Ginny said as she gave him a hug.

"Thanks, Ginny," Jack told her as he hugged back, still crying. Then, all of Jack's Pokémon, besides Pikachu, Umbreon, and Wurmple, came out of their pokeballs. "Guys," he asked, "what are you doing?"

His answer came in the form of a huge group hug from all his friends.

"Thanks guys. I needed that," Jack told everyone after the hug ended.

"Jack, that was an amazing battle," Mr. Morsba told the boy. "I haven't seen a battle that good since Ash Ketchum became the Kanto Champion."

When Mr. Morsba said 'Ash Ketchum,' Jack remembered something from his past.

_*Flashback*_

_"Pikachu, Volt Tackle!"_

_"Pikapikapikapika."_

_"Come on Ash! You can do it!"_

_"Go, Daddy!"_

_*Flashback ends*_

"Jack, are you okay?" Ginny asked her friend.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you sorta spaced out on us," Mr. Morsba answered.

"I'm fine."

"Good. As I was saying," Mr. Morsba said, "Jack, I think it would be a good idea if you joined the school's battle team."

"The what?" he asked confused.

"The battle team. It's a team of students that battle other students from other schools," Sarah explained. "I've always wanted to be on the team," she added quietly.

"I'll join, but only if Ginny can too," Jack told Mr. Morsba.

"Really?" she asked, shocked that someone would do that for her.

"Yeah, friends have to stick together," he told her, with a cheesy smile.

"I don't see a problem with that," Mr. Morsba said, "but both of you have to defeat a team member to make the team."

"Jack, I can't do that," Ginny stated.

"Why?"

"I'm horrible at battling."

"I'll help you," Jack told her.

"Thank you!" she squealed, giving her friend a huge hug.

"No problem," he told her, hugging her back.

_These two will become inseparable later in life,_ Mr. Morsba thought. "The match will be held next Friday," he told them.

"Good, that gives us time to train," Jack said, turning towards Ginny.

"Now then," Mr. Morsba said, "let's get back to class."

"Okay," the two teens said at the same time, causing them to blush.

* * *

**Well, that's another chapter down. I hope you liked it. Please leave a review if you have any questions.**

**Now before you guys say anything about the characters' speech, when I originally wrote this, all the kids where eleven. I bumbed up the age when I thought that it would be weird if Jack and Ginny got this close at that young of an age.**

**Anyways, Chapter 3 won't be up until some time next week since I forgot to type it and it's at my house. Since I'm in college, that's a problem. Sorry for that. To make it up though, chapter 4 will be up at the same time as chapter 3. Again, I'm sorry for that guys.**

**FFW out...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, FFW here with another chapter. Sorry it took a while for me to update. I've been having some problems lately, and been extremely busy. To make up for the lateness, this chapter is extra long.**

**Dilectus had some really great questions about last chapter, and I will try to answer them the best I can.**

**Q1 (This one's not really a question): ****_Hmm, i dunno, in this chapter, some of the interactions between the characters don't seem "real" to me, i almost feel like im watching the anime, everything's just too convenient and slightly bi-polar, lol._**** Well, I agree with you that it seems like the anime, and everything always fell into place there. For the characters, I'm still working on my dialogue. As I continue, the interactions between characters will get better.**

**Q2: ****_I find it especially _****_weird_****_ that he has a "permission slip" to keep his Pokémon out at school?_**** The permission slip allows Jack to keep ****all**** his Pokémon on him at all times. This is due to his foster parents not allowing his Pokémon to stay at home because they are anti-Pokémon. You will find out more about Rick and Amy as the story advances. The last thing I have to say is, it's fanfiction so work with me!**

**Q3: ****_Why does HE get such special treatment and why does the teacher respond so casually to this, even if Jenny did call and explain? _****I really don't have an answer for this one. I just let my mind go and that was the product. I liked it, so I stuck with it. And again, its fanfiction.**

**Now, since the questions have been answered, I give you chapter 3.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my ideas. Pokémon is owned by Nintendo.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Joining the Team**

"You ready?" Jack asked Ginny.

"You bet," she said smiling.

"We'll use the same rules as last time, three-vs-three, okay?"

"That's fine with me, Jack."

"Okay. Vulpix, battle phase!" Jack shouted, releasing a small fox with red fur.

"Girafarig, it's time to play."

"Vulpix, start with an Ember."

"Quick Girafarig, use Confusion!"

While Vulpix was powering up her attack, Girafarig started glowing blue.

"Vulpix!" the fire fox shouted, launching a medium-sized fire-ball at her foe.

"Farig!" Ginny's giraffe shouted, using his psychic attack to block Vulpix's attack.

"Good move, Ginny," Jack told his friend.

"Thanks, Jack."

"Vulpix, use a Quick Iron!"

"Girafarig, counter with Stomp!"

As Vulpix charged Girafarig, Girafarig reared up on his hind legs to stomp on Vulpix, but Vulpix was too quick for him. Right before Girafarig attacked, Vulpix struck him with an Iron Tail.

"Girafarig! Are you okay?" Ginny asked as Girafarig went down.

"Girafarig," he said in pain.

"Vulpix, good job. Is Girafarig okay?" Jack asked, recalling Vulpix.

"He's fine," Ginny answered as she recalled her Pokémon.

"Alright, Golbat, battle phase," Jack said, releasing his bat Pokémon.

"Koffing, time to play."

"Golbat, use..." Jack started to say.

"Food's done!" Amy shouted.

"Food!" Jack shouted, running to get some.

"Jack, aren't you forgetting someone?" Ginny asked, trying not to laugh.

Jack turned around to say something when he saw Golbat. "Oops. Golbat, return. Thanks Ginny."

"You're welcome."

"Jack, is your friend eating with us tonight?" Rick asked as the two teens entered the kitchen.

"Yes, she is, Rick. She's also spending the night. Isn't that right dear?" Amy asked Jack.

"Yup. We're trying out for the battle team at school tomorrow, so I came over so Jack could help me train," Ginny explained.

"That's nice, but you will speak only when spoken to in this house, right son?" Rick said.

"That's right, and I'm not your son," Jack told him.

"You are as long as you live under this roof," Amy forcefully said.

"Whatever, I'm going to bed," Jack stated. "Come on Ginny, I'll show you my room."

As they were walking up the stairs, Ginny said, "Now I know why you don't like them."

"Yup." They then entered Jack's room. "Well, this is my room. Umbreon, wake up. You too, Wurmple."

"Bre," Umbreon sighed as he got off the bed, just to fall asleep on the floor.

"Lazy. Hey, Wurmple, wake up!" Jack shouted at the caterpillar Pokémon.

"Wurm?" he asked, opening one eye.

"Wurmple, Ginny's spending the night, so we're sleeping on the floor," Jack told him.

"Where am I sleeping?" Ginny asked her friend.

"You get the bed," he told her smiling.

"Why?"

"Because," Jack answered as he picked up Wurmple, "you're the guest. Plus, I think the floor's more comfortable anyways."

"Well, thank you Jack," Ginny said, blushing.

"You're welcome. Umbreon, Pikachu, come here," Jack said, setting up his sleeping bag.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked when his trainer finished.

"Climb in," Jack told them, pointing to the open sleeping bag. After they got in, he joined them.

"Good night, Jack."

"Night, Ginny."

* * *

Next Morning

"Jack, get up!" Ginny shouted.

"Huh?" Jack asked, opening his eyes.

"We have FIVE MINUTES until the bus comes!"

"Crap! Not Again!" he shouted, grabbing some clean clothes and sprinting to the bathroom to change.

"Does he always do this?" Ginny asked the, now wide awake, Pokémon.

"Bre," Umbreon answered, nodding his head.

"Well, let's go," Jack told them as he entered his room.

"Okay."

When they arrived at school, Mr. Morsba was waiting for them, along with four students.

"Jack, Ginny, I would like to introduce the Viridian Battle Team," Mr. Morsba said, gestured towards the students.

"But I thought there were six people on a team?" Sarah said confused.

"Well, we're short-handed," Mr. Morsba explained. "That's why I asked Jack to join. When he said that he wouldn't join without you, that filled the other spot, killing two birds with one stone."

"Wow," was all Jack could say.

"Now, let's introduce the team," Mr. Morsba said.

The first student stepped forward. He was chubbier than most kids their age, but he hid it under a purple hoodie that was a size too large. "My name is Albert Corn," he said.

Next up was a slightly shorter kid. He was wearing jeans that would almost be considered skinny-jeans, and a T-shirt. "I'm Shelvin Tako, the best there is."

"I'm Alex Sane," the third member said. He was wearing black jeans and a black zip-up hoodie.

The final member was not as chubby as Albert, but he was still chubby. He was wearing a pair of cargo pants and a button-up shirt. "I'm Robert McDowell."

"My name is Ginny."

"I'm Jack, and this is Wurmple, Pikachu and Umbreon."

"Don't you have a last name?" Albert asked Jack.

"Yea, but it isn't mine," he answered, slightly depressed. Jack suddenly felt something gripping his hand. When he looked down, he saw Ginny's hand in his. Jack looked up and gave her a smile. "Thank you."

"Is there something between you two?" Alex asked with a smirk.

His comment brought the two of them back to reality. "No," Jack said quickly as the teens separated, "we're just friends."

"Sure," Shelvin said sarcastically.

"Now that you know each other, let's head toward the stadium," Mr. Morsba said.

As they followed, Robert asked, "Mr. Morsba, who's battling them?"

"Jack will face Alex first, then Ginny will battle Albert."

"I wanted to battle though," Shelvin whined.

"Shelvin, shut up," Alex said, rolling his eyes.

"What did you say!"

"I told you to shut up."

"Boys," Mr. Morsba said, "settle down. Now Shelvin, the only reason Alex is battling is because he asked me yesterday."

"What about Albert?"

"He's battling because I wanted to give Ginny a chance," Mr. Morsba explained.

His explanation caused Ginny to hang her head. "Hey, don't worry," Jack told her, taking her hand, "just go out there and show them what you're made of."

"Thanks, Jack, I needed that," she said smiling. Without even thinking, she kissed him on the cheek. Realizing what she had done, Ginny blushed.

"You're welcome," Jack said, his face bright red.

"You're sure that there's nothing between the two of you?" Alex questioned.

Jack quickly changed the subject. "So, Alex, what type of Pokémon do you use?"

"Well, that's for me to know, and for you to find out."

Ginny caught on. "What about you, Albert?"

"I have all sorts of Pokémon."

"That's cool," Jack said. "I guess we'll just have to go in blind."

When the group arrived, Mr. Morsba pointed to two different hallways. "Jack and Ginny, you'll head that way, while the team will go down this hall," he said.

"Let's go guys," Robert told the team.

"Wait," Albert said, "what are the rules?"

"Both matches will be a five-vs-five battle," Mr. Morsba said.

"Thanks."

"See you on the battlefield," Alex shouted as they left.

"If you will follow me," Mr. Morsba said, "I'll take you to the away teams room."

"Okay," Jack said. "Mr. Morsba, could you tell about our opponents?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't," he answered.

"Why?" asked Ginny.

"It would ruin the fun," he said with a smile. "Also, when we go up against the other schools, we have no clue what Pokémon we'll end up facing," Mr. Morsba explained.

"I guess it makes sense to have us battle this way then," Jack said.

"Well," Mr. Morsba said as he stopped in front of the away teams locker room, "I'll leave you to it. The match will start in fifteen minutes."

"Thank you."

"Hey, Jack," Ginny asked, "who are you going to use?"

"Well, since we're fighting blind, I'm going to use some variety. I think Combusken, Grotle, Buizel, Seviper, and Torkoal are up for it," he answered, pulling out five poke-balls.

"If you're going to use different types, why are you using both Torkoal and Combusken? They're both fire-types."

"Torkoal has a high defense, so he'll be my anchor. Combusken is my only fighting-type, so I might need her," explained Jack. "What about you?"

"I think I'll go with Koffing, Oddish, Skitty, Girafarig, and Tropius," Ginny answered.

"Good line up. There's no way you'll lose," Jack said with a smile.

"Thanks for believing in me, Jack," Ginny said as she hugged him. Jack noticed that she had tears running down her face.

"Ginny," he asked as he wiped them away with his thumb, "don't cry; everything will work out fine."

The redhead giggled, "These are tears of joy, stupid. Can't a girl cry if she's happy?"

Jack sighed. "Why are women so complicated?"

Before Ginny could respond, Shelvin entered the room, announcing that it was time.

"Thanks, Shelvin," Jack said. Turning to Ginny, he asked, "You coming?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she answered with a faint blush, as she left the room.

"Are you sure that there is nothing between the two of you?" Shelvin asked with a smirk.

"Shelvin," Jack stated, "I honestly don't know. If there is, I wouldn't know how to proceed."

Shelvin just shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't either. I have no luck with women. Anyways, Alex is waiting on you."

Jack nodded his head. "Let's do this," he said as they exited the room, bumping into Ginny.

"Oh, sorry Jack. Mr. Morsba sent me to see what the holdup was," she explained.

"We were just on our way. Oh, Ginny, can you take Wurmple, Pikachu, Umbreon, and the others?" Jack asked as they continued to walk, handing her the bag with all his Pokémon.

"Sure, I'll make sure that they won't get into any trouble," Ginny said with a grin.

The group was met with a wall of sound as they entered the stadium. "Wait, is the whole school here to watch our battles?" Jack asked the other boy.

"They really have nothing better to do," he replied. "Anyways, I'll be rooting for you to win, Jack. Someone has to end Alex's reign of terror."

"Thanks, Shelvin. I appreciate it," Jack stated.

_"Today we have something special for all of you,"_ Mr. Morsba announced over the stadium's sound system. _"Two students have decided to try out for our school's battle team. The first match will be between our king of darkness, ALEX SANE and challenger Jack."_

"You ready to fear the darkness?" Alex shouted from across the field.

"The only way to defeat the darkness is hope," Jack responded. "Oh, and skill."

_"Alex, Jack, let's have a clean fight. You may begin."_

"Mightyena, show them the power of darkness!" A large wolf appeared in front of Alex. It's black and grey fur course with the power of darkness. Many of the students in the stands screamed in fear at the sight of the creature, having faced it in battle themselves.

"Grotle, battle phase!" The evolution of Turtwig appeared on Jack's side of the field. On it back where two bushes, replacing the single twig on its head.

The Sinnoh starter smirked at his opponent, showing that it wasn't afraid.

_"Alex has started out with his fearsome Mightyena and Jack responds with his Grotle. Can the earth turtle stand the power of Mightyena's deadly attacks?"_

"Mightyena, Shadow Ball!"

"Grotle, counter with Energy Ball!"

The two Pokemon launched balls of energy at the other. Mightyena's was a dark purple, while Grotle's was a forest green. As the attacks made contact, a huge explosion occurred, covering the entire field in smoke.

"Grotle, let's try Dig Leaf!"

"Mightyena, Howl!"

************  
Sidelines  
************

"Hey Ginny," Shelvin asked, "what's a Dig Leaf?"

"Dig Leaf is when Grotle uses Dig, and while still underground, follows up with Razor Leaf," Ginny explained.

"How did Jack come up with that?" Albert asked from the other side of Shelvin.

"I have no clue," Ginny stated, "but he has made some really good combo-attacks."

"What's a combo-attack?" asked Shelvin, scratching the top of his head in confusion.

"Technically, a combo-attack is just two attacks used in quick succession. It's easier than saying 'Grotle, use Dig and then Razor Leaf.' Plus, it confuses the other trainer, since they're trying to figure out if that's a real attack," Ginny explained.

"Wow, that's really thought out," Albert commented.

"I just repeated what Jack told me when I asked the same question," the redhead replied, her face turning a faint pink.

"So where did he get the idea?" Shelvin asked. The others could tell that the boy was intrigued by this new information.

"He said something about a Beautifly, Gust, Sleep Powder, and a contest," Ginny answered.

"Will you all just shut up!" Robert shouted at the group, "I'm trying to watch the battle!"

"Sorry," all three of them responded.

**********  
Battle Field  
**********

"Your turtle can't stay underground forever," Alex shouted.

"He wasn't planning on it," Jack replied with a smirk. "Now, Grotle! Use Energy Ball!" A ball of green energy shot out of the ground, directly underneath Mightyena.

_"It seems that Jack's tactic of attacking from beneath has paid off. After five minutes of minor hits, Grotle finally gets in a kill shot. It seems that Mightyena is unable to battle. Grotle wins the round."_

"Good job, Mightyena. You did your best," Alex said, recalling his Pokémon.

"That was awesome, Grotle. That training really paid off," Jack told the Pokémon that appeared at his side from below. "How about you go join the others. They're with Ginny." The earth turtle nodded, walking towards his fellow Pokémon.

"Hey, where's your Grotle going?" Alex shouted, noticing the Pokémon walking off the field.

"I told him to go sit with the others. He won his battle, so I'm letting him watch his friends in their own fights," Jack explained as if it was obvious.

"You do know that if he walks off the field, he can't be called on to fight again, right?"

"I know, but as I just said, Grotle's fight is over. He doesn't have anything else to prove," Jack stated.

"But what if it takes two of your Pokémon to defeat my next Pokémon?" Alex asked, still trying to understand why his opponent was dismissing one of his Pokémon.

Jack smirked. "I guarantee that won't happen."

_"I can't believe it! Jack as just sent Grotle off the field! He said something about it watching its friends battle. Just what kind of bond does Jack have with his Pokémon? And does he expect to win this match by each of his Pokémon taking out their opponent? Anyways, trainers, send out your next Pokémon!"_

"Absol, you're up!"

"Seviper, battle phase!"

_"And it looks like Cole has sent out his Absol, which has never been defeated. Jack counters by sending out his Seviper. Can the Fang Snake Pokémon defeat the Disaster Pokémon?"_

"Absol, use Bite!"

"Counter with Crunch, Seviper!"

The two Pokemon lunged forwards. As Absol tried to take a bite out of Seviper, Seviper dodged then bit down on Absol's leg.

"Absol, try to Scratch it off!" Alex shouted, worried.

"Seviper, block with Iron Tail," Jack said calmly.

Absol's claws just bounced off Seviper's tail.

"Seviper, Flamethrower!"

"Absol, use Quick Attack to get out of there!"

As soon as Seviper let go, Absol tried to get away, but it was too slow. It was badly burnt from Seviper's Flamethrower. Even with its injuries, it was still standing.

"Absol, Razor Wind!"

"Seviper, end this with Poison Tail."

While Absol charged its attack, Seviper slashed it with his poison covered tail.

"Absol is unable to battle; Seviper wins."

"Absol, take a break," Alex said, recalling his Pokémon.

"Good job, Seviper," Jack said, patting the gigantic snake on the head, "that was an awesome first battle. Why don't you join Grotle? You deserve a rest."

**********  
Sideline  
**********

"Wow," Shelvin said, "I've never seen Alex lose this badly."

"Did Jack say 'first battle?'" Albert asked Ginny as Seviper curled up in front of her.

"Yep. He's never used Seviper in a actual battle before, but he has trained him a great deal. That's how Seviper knows Iron Tail and Flamethrower," Ginny explained as she petted the snake.

"He must have trained Grotle as well since it knows Energy Ball," Robert added.

"That's right, and Grotle's an him not an it," Ginny said. The earth turtle nodded his head in agreement, glaring at Robert.

"Whatever."

**********  
Battle Field  
**********

"Sneasel, your turn!"

"Combuken, battle phase!"

**********  
Sideline  
**********

"Why does he keep saying that?" Albert asked.

"It's his catch phrase," Ginny answered.

"His what?" asked Shelvin.

The others groaned. "You know how Ash Ketchum yells, 'I choose you...' before sending a Pokémon out?" Robert asked.

"Yeah..."

"It's the same thing in this situation," Ginny explained.

Just then, the red light of a poke-ball activating was seen coming from Jack's bag. "What's going on?" she questioned.

"Can Pokémon come out of their poke-ball on their own?" asked Albert.

When the light receded, Jack's Grovyle was sitting on his fellow grass-type's shell. "Grovyle!" he shouted, jumping into the air.

"What is Grovyle doing?" Shelvin asked.

"I believe he is cheering for his sister," Ginny told him.

"What are you talking about?" Robert questioned.

"Jack has two pairs of siblings on his team. The first are Pikachu and Umbreon. He said that their parents are his dad's Pikachu and his mom's Glaceon. The other pair is Grovyle and Combusken. Their parents are his dad's Sceptile and his mom's Blaziken," Mr. Morsba explained as he joined the group.

"Mr. Morsba, if you're here, who's announcing the battle?" Albert asked.

"One of the other teachers. Now hush, I'm sure Grovyle would like to watch his sister battle, as would I."

*********  
Battlefield  
*********

"Sneasel, Quick Attack!"

"Wait for it, Combusken."

"Busk," the fire-type replied, remembering her training. When Sneasel was close enough, Combusken responded with a Double Kick, scoring a major hit on her opponent. She followed up with a Brick Break, sending Sneasel across the field.

_"Can you believe it? Jack has taken out three of Alex's Pokémon without a single lose. Can he continue this winning streak?"_

"Nice try, Sneasel. You did your best."

"Great job, Combusken!" Jack praised his Pokémon. "Now why don't you go sit with everyone else? I'm sure your brother wants to congratulate his little sister." He laughed when he saw the slight blush on his Pokemon's face.

*********  
Sideline  
*********

"That was the quickest battle I've ever seen!" Shelvin shouted. Albert, unable to say a word, just nodded his head in agreement.

"Jack chose wisely that battle," Mr. Morsba stated.

"What do you mean?" Shelvin asked.

"Since Sneasel is both an ice-type and dark-type, Combusken's fighting-type attacks deal four times the normal amount of damage," Robert explained.

*********  
Battlefield  
*********

"Houndour, sick 'im!"

"Buizel, battle phase!"

"Houndour, Ember!"

"Buizel, counter with Water Gun."

The tiny ball of fire barely left Houndour's mouth before it was extinguished by Buizel's attack, soaking the dog in the process.

"Houndour, use Smog!"

"Get rid of it with Icy Wind, Buizel."

Buizel let out an icy breath, blowing away the purple smoke. He managed to hit Houndour as well, but since it was also a fire-type, Houndour barely took any damage.

"Will you stop countering my attacks!" Alex shouted.

Jack smirked as he shouted his next order: "Buizel, Aqua Jet!"

The weasel grinned as he surrounded himself with water and took off towards his opponent. Houndour didn't have a chance in hell to escape.

_"And it seems that Jack has done it again."_

"You tried, Houndour."

"Great job, Buizel. Nice work with that Icy Wind. Go sit with the others and take a break."

_"Alright, this will be the final battle between Alex and Jack. Trainers, send out your Pokémon!"_

"Sableye, let's do this!"

"Torkoal, let's make Dad proud."

********  
Sideline  
********

"Why didn't Jack use his catch phrase?" Shelvin asked, as Buizel joined the other Pokémon.

"And what was that all about?" added Albert.

"Torkoal used to be his dad's Pokémon. He's the only one of Jack's starters that wasn't raised from an egg," Ginny explained.

"So how does Jack know that it's his dad's Pokémon?" Shelvin asked.

"I don't really understand it, but Jack can sort of understand what his Pokémon are saying," the redhead answered.

"How?"

"Shelvin, shut up!" shouted Robert.

*********  
Battlefield  
*********

"Sableye, Fury Swipes!"

"Torkoal, use Iron Defense."

Sableye's attack was deflected by the metal coating that surrounded Torkoal.

"Shadow Ball, Sableye!"

"Counter with Flamethrower!"

Each launched their attack, causing an explosion as the ball of darkness contacted the stream of fire.

"Torkoal, Fire Spin."

A torrent of fire suddenly shot towards Sableye.

"Sableye, get out of there!"

But it was too late. It was already caught in the firestorm. When the fire died out, Sableye was on the ground, unconscious.

_"Sableye is unable do battle, Torkoal wins."_

_"After an amazing battle," _Mr. Morsba announced, _"Jack defeated Alex. Welcome to the team, Jack."_

"We did it Torkoal!" Jack shouted, hugging the fire tortoise around his neck. Torkoal was larger than most of his species, the top of his shell coming to Jack's waist.

"Koal," the Pokémon responded, happy that he was part of the victory.

"Congratulations, Jack," Alex said, approaching his opponent. "That was the most fun I've had in a while."

"It was pretty fun," Jack replied, shaking the offered hand.

"Speaking of pretty," Alex said with a smirk.

"What are you talking about?" Jack questioned.

Before Alex could answer, Jack was tackled to the ground.

"Jack," Ginny said, helping the boy up, "you were amazing!"

"Thanks, Ginny," Jack said, giving the girl a hug. They quickly separated, faces red. "Sorry, wasn't thinking."

"It's fine, Jack."

No one noticed the looks on the faces on most of Jack's Pokémon.

_"After we take a short break," _Mr. Morsba announced, _"Ginny Rhodes will face Albert Corn for the final spot on the team."_

"You guys hungry?" Shelvin asked the group.

Jack nodded his head. "I'm starving. That battle took a lot out of me. Hey, where are my Pokémon?" Again, Jack was tackled to the ground, this time by seven Pokémon. "That has to stop happening," he groaned. Standing up, he asked Ginny, "Did they behave?"

"They were angels," the red-haired beauty replied.

"I highly doubt that," Jack said, looking directly at the brothers.

"Pika," said Pikachu, glaring at his trainer.

"What," Jack said defensively, "you guys normally don't behave for me, so why should I believe that you behaved for Ginny?"

"Maybe they like me better?" Ginny said with a grin.

"Pika," the yellow mouse said, nodding his head in agreement. He jumped onto the girl's shoulders to prove her point.

"Traitor," muttered Jack.

"How about you all shut up so we can eat!" Robert shouted, glaring at the two.

"Whatever," was Jack's response. Turning towards his Pokemon, the boy asked, "Do you guys want to stay out, or go back inside your poke-balls?" All of them took a step back. "Okay, but you have to be on your best behavior."

"Can we go eat yet?" Shelvin whined.

"Do you ever stop complaining?" asked Alex.

* * *

**Well, there you have it, Jack's first official match. I had a lot of fun writing this since I pictured each attack and battle.**

**Again, I'm sorry for the long wait. To make it up to you guys, Chapter 4 will be up in about an hour.**

**Oh, and if you want me to write Ginny's battle, just let me know.**

**FFW out...**


End file.
